The students spent the day working on high speed rail engineering tasks which were centred on three challenges; station building, passenger experience and the rail network.

By working in small groups the students also learnt important skills such as team-work and problem solving.

The day was led by representatives from the Smallpeice Trust, which is an independent educational charity that runs hands-on Science, Technology and Engineering and Maths (STEM) activities for students.

Andrew Mushing, Aspire coordinator, said: “The high pressure activities and time constraints really show the students the type of work engineers face. The day also allowed the youngsters to ask questions and find out about future career opportunities.”

Alison Davies, headteacher, said: “The STEM subjects form a crucial part of the curriculum and we are grateful to the Smallpeice Trust for coming into our school and bringing these subjects to life.”